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It's WIP at the moment but I started the expansion this afternoon. I think that the pics speak for themselves.... The original plan was to put a call centre on top of the two new garages but I think that there will actually be plenty of room for that in the main building which leaves me the issue of what to put on there instead... The empty grey plate is either going to be a car park or where the training tower will go. Cheers Rog

There already is fireman's pole. If you look behind the windows next to the external staircase you can see the yello pole that brings the firemen down between the two sets of garages. And, don't worry about the giant minifgures - they're harmless at this time of year. Haloween they can be a pain but in January they're fine... Cheers Rog

It's getting out of the garages that I was wondering about too... Your idea could work though. I was hoping for a grand entrance of some sort to the offices which might need a rethink if I go that way... Cheers Rog

I'm thinking of extended the fire station again with a call centre and maybe some extra garages. Question is though - Do I continue to extend lengthways or rebuild into a courtyard with the garages extending out from the offices? Option 1 below if the current layout. The choice is between Option 2 and Option 3... Any thoughts? Option 2 will be much easier which makes me edge towards Option 3 but Option 3 I am unsure how to do the access to and from the garages within the space I have on the roadplates...? Cheers Rog

That is pretty much perfect now. Great job. Next challenge is to make the door so it opens! It's still ugly but I guess that is accurate... Cheers Rog

I ventured out through the snow today and got hold of 60001 and 60002 to go with my newly converted fire station. Only problem, nowhere to park them so I spent this afternoon extending the fire station to have two extra bays: As you can see the two bays are full height bays big enough for fire engines although its current the support van and the chief's car parked there. There is also now a fireman's pole next to the external staircase and their very own fuel pump at the far left hand side. Other alterations include the relocation of the helipad to the roof of the new garages. The helipad has in turn been replaced by a new radar. The chopper itself is a recoloured version of the police chopper from the forest police station. There's also a new bigger tree out front (again pinched from the forest police!). I have also included an interior shot (as requested by LT!) which shows the chief's office on the top floor with a storage area below and reception at the bottom. The dorm has a chair, coffee and a TV as well as two beds. Cheers Rog

Nice review and a nice truck. I agree with some of the other posters that this is more typical of an oil tanker than a petrol tanker as the latter do tend to be articulated. I though for a moment that maybe the Octan Energy brand was aluding to this but then why is there a petrol pump? Anyway, I think it's a nicely proportioned little truck and as it has a low price point I'll definitely be gettng one. In answer to some of the truck related queries: The gap visible on the front of many truck cabs is due to the cab being separate to the chassis. This is for two reasons, primarily because the cab tips up to allow access to the engine and other components that are mounted underneath. Secondly, many cabs are mounted on air suspension on top of the chassis which in turn has it's own air suspension. You can see this when trucks stop quickly as the cab bounces around more than the rest of the truck. This gives a much smoother ride. The exhausts on tanker trucks are most often mounted lengthways under the front bumper. Cab over truck cabs are by far the most common in Europe. The main reason for this is that the overall length of the truck (and trailer) is reduced. This means more room for cargo while keeping within whatever the maximum length for vehicles is in that country. It also means that the cabs on their own take up less space to park in depots. They are also cheaper to build (less truck=less parts=less raw materials), cheaper to run (less truck=less weight=better mpg) and they are easier to drive. Cheers Rog

Brilliant vig at a great scale! Megan Fox could maybe do with some more curves... Cheers Rog

Looks just as ugly as the real thing so a good job I guess... I would raise the suspension by one plate as it looks like the suspension sits too low IMO. Also, the door doesn't look like it's deep enough. I guess you're trying to reprsent the window in the door doesn't go all the way down but it just looks like the door is too small... Cheers Rog

Exactly what I did with mine. I wouldn't describe what I did as heavily modifying though... I switched the bones out for plain white bars, replaced the figure head with Penelope Cruz, removed the skeletons from the back and simply turned all the skeleton heads around so they are just plain white orbs. Swapped the skull and crossbones flag for a red imperial flag and she's done. The sails are obviously just fine as they are. Very last thing was swapping the priate crew for a military crew of non-fleshie minifigs. I'm not a fan of pirate ships or most of the POTC characters but liked this ship from as soon as I saw it and bought it with conversion in mind. Cheers Rog

Marmite is a yeast extract spread for toast/sandwiches/etc. Marmite famously have/had a marketing slogan where they claim people either love it or hate thereby implying that there is no middle ground. (Marmite is horrible - I'm firmly in the hate camp). A marmite set would therefore be one that some will love and some will hate with few people inbetween.... If that is the case (which I'm not sure it is) I would be one of the lovers. I really like it and some of the detail is great. It reminds me of a couple of local cinemas I went to as a child (late 1980s) in many of the design features and the layout. A bit more Chinese looking perhaps but that would be easy to fix! Cheers Rog

I'm looking forward to the release of the downtown skyscrapers in the background... Great review! Cheers Rog

True - although I've never seen a red fire station in real life so I'll stick with white! The whole concept was how easy the conversion was going to be and I think changing the white to red would be a big job..... Speaking of 80s fire stations, you might have just pre-empted my next project..... Cheers Rog

Thanks for the feedback guys. I didn't take any interior photos LT as the interior is pretty basic. There's not much that you can't see through the windows from outside... There's two single beds and a TV in the dorm and a few desks and coffee machines dotted about in the main building. Cheers Rog

Hi all I was looking at my 7498 Police Station the other day and wondered how much work it would take to turn it into a fire station. Change the blue bits for red and change the cells in a dorm. Sounds easy... What I didn't take into account was the fact that the police station vehicle bays aren't tall enough for a fire engine. So, I needed to raise the roof by two rows of bricks which also then meant modifying the stairs and walkway over the garages and made the rebuild of the cells into a dorm more fiddly. However, it's done and the overall effect is one which makes it look like the fire station I imagined plus doesn't look like extensive work has taken place which was my concept from the start! Cheers Rog

Thanks guys. I put a lot of effort into the comms equipment using photos of real warships. Not entirely sure what some of the things are but I think the overall effect is good. The comms gear combined with the overall grey colour of the vessel (and the gun of course!) does give the navy feel I was hoping for. That's a great question... If I'm feeling brave this weekend I might give it a try! I think it will float as under the bridge and below the rear deck is empty so it's not a heavy solid block. Watch this space! Cheers Rog

There's help and tutorials on the Bricklink site itself. What do you actually need to know? It's no harder to fathom than any other online selling site. You search, you find (hopefully!), you add to your basket and then you buy. Simples. Anything specific you want to know, then ask a specific question or contact the seller... Paying is however you agree with the seller but Paypal is the easiest in my opinion. I've never been conned or heard of anyone being conned. If you are worried, then stick to sellers with big reputations and feel free to contact a seller directly before committing to buy anything. It's certainly no riskier than any other internet purchase... Is it just me or is starting a post with just the word "Hey" (rather than "Hey guys" or similar) is a bit like starting with the word "Oi!"...? Cheers Rog

You will struggle to find a forum which does not contain people who are moaning about something. On car forums people moan about the car manufacturers, on software forums people moan about Microsoft, on job related forums people moan about employers, on DIY forums people moan about tradesmen and on LEGO forums people moan about TLG. It's human nature to complain and criticise and forums are a hub for this. Human nature also means that those people that are perfectly happy with things don't tend to pipe up or certainly aren't as vocal as those who are unhappy. That's just the way it is. Turning to EB specifically, sure there are other forums out there where the moans about TLG are less but then EB is specifically targetted at AFOLs and as a result the TLG model range and individual models are critiqued from an AFOL point of view. EB is a tightly run ship which means that the frivilous, happy-for-the-sake-of-being-happy and other generic threads you might find on other forums and which may give a less-moany view of the world. EB is an adult forum for adult fans and the result is adult views and opinions which, like it or not, tend to be more "moany" and critical than those of younger minds. If EB isn't what you like then feel free to nip off and find something else. Plenty of search engines out there to help you do this. Asking for alternative forums in the very place you don't like seems a bit backwards to me and a thinly veiled way of having a pop at EB from within. Cheers Rog

Hi all I have had the City harbour for a while now and have been trying to decide what to do with the hull. It's crying out for something more than the grain transporter that LEGO intended it for... So, here is what I have come up with. It's a navy patrol boat of the type which would patrol coastal waters looking for immigrants, unauthorised fishing and other kinds of illegal activity. C&C welcome as always! Front 3/4 view showing the overall view and a LEGO fishing boat alongside for scale: Similar view but without the fishing boat in the way. You can see the various radio and radar arrays on the top of the boat and the nifty little gun on the bow: A close up of the gun. This is roughly based on a Raphael Typhoon 25mm gun which is typical of a small patrol boat: On the stern there are 2 x two seater ribs for sorties to shore and for intercepting other craft. There is also a small crane for launching and recovering the ribs: The crew lined up on the deck. I think that the forest police uniform works very well as a military uniform with the blue trousers swapped for khaki: The bridge. This is accessed via a removable roof. Plenty of computer and comms kit in here as well as an old fashioned compass as backup... Normally manned by the helmsman, navigator and captain: The forward compartment is located under the sloped front area ahead of the bridge and simply hinges open. Inside a table and chairs plus a bunk bed for the sailors off watch: Close up of one of the ribs: Cheers Rog

It looks good and it's intesting the scale you have used - sort of in between the scale LEGO used and minifig scale. Are you going to finish the roadways either end of the bridge and finish the job? Does it actually open? BTW it's simply called Tower Bridge without the "the". Cheers Rog

I quite liked the look of this chopper when I saw it in the shops and online but only since reading this review have I realised how bulky the rotor hub is and it really puts me off. I know they're trying to cram in both PF-ability and adjustable pitch but it spoils it for me. Cheers Rog

Great find. Thanks for posting! Cheers Rog

I don't dislike or hate MB or any of the other non-LEGO brands but I won't buy them. The reason? It's nothing to do with compatibility or quality or anything else. I collect LEGO specifically - I don't collect construction toys generally. Simples. Cheers Rog

Brilliant stuff guys! Just what I was looking for - and very happy there's a little marine section in LDD Ext now! Cheers Rog

If you've run out of reddish borwn, why not do a pub which is red or black or green on the gorund floor and plastered white on the upper floors? I'd hate not to be able to see more creations from you just because of lack of parts...! Great job! Cheers Rog